Shoe-shank stiffener



Dec. 3, 1929. R E, BARTELS 1,737,556

SHOE SHANK STIFFENER Filed sept. 21. 1925 "Eil/i222@ /f IMM u l l@ Patented Dec. 3, 1929 :UNITED :.S

fr Y' j PATE NT" ori-FICE r REINHARD E. BARTELS, OF .LY-NNV MASSACHUSETTS; .IDA \M.,BARTELS AND;,R..BUR

LEIGH ;BARTELS, ,EXECUTORS yOIF ,SAIDY REINHAB\DE`.A=BARTELS, ,.DEGEASED sHoE-,sHANK- sTIFFEN-EI;

Application led September Shoe shank stifeners are sometimes fiXed in shoes by means of rivets extending through the stift'eners and the soles, the heads of the rivets showing on the outer faces of the soles and imparting ornamental effects. It is necessary, however, to perforate the stileners to receive the rivets and as they are commonly formed of narrow metal strips they are greatly weakened by these perforations and are liable to be broken when the shoes are in service.

The present invention provides a construction of shank stiifener by which fastening rivets may be used without however so weak ening the stitfener that it is liable to break in service. This is effected by forming the shank stitlener in two parts or laminations, only one of which is perforated to receive the rivets, the other being liXed tothe irst so as le be held in position in the shoe thereby and reinforcing it throughout substantially its entire extent.

For a more complete understanding of this invention, together with further objects and advantageous details and combinations ot' parts, reference may be had to the accom- )anying drawings in which Figures 1 and 2 are perspective views of the two parts of the stiftener in condition to be attached to the sole.

Figure 3 is a similar fragmentary view of the sole perforated to receive the stitfener.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal central section through the shank portion of the sole showing the two parts of the stitfener attached thereto in condition for the molding operation.

Figure 5 is a similar section showing the parts being molded.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspective of the complete stifener as assembled with the sole and molded in condition to be incorporated in a shoe.

Figure 7 is a detail section on line 7 7 of Figure 4.

A Hat sole blank as indicated at l in Figure 3 is perforated at 2 intermediate its ends for the reception of the rivets by which the stiffener is to be liXed thereto. A iiat stitfener element 3, as shown in Figure l, is provided with :perforations Lpositioned to mate. the :perforations'2 .offthevsole blank when thez-stiiiener element?) .is :placed thereon andv this stiffener elementis .also iprovidedradjacent to its ends t with `upwardly .extending prongsfr v5 iwhichcgg55 may-ghe partially cut1 from :the material lofthe I stitlenernelement .andebentiupwardly. The

:stitlenerfelement havingbeen placed in position ontheinnerfaoeof the'so'le blank' 1:,rivets Y (arepassed through theemating.perforationsefno 2 yand" 4 :in the sole fblanki 1 and: `stienen l eleirment 13,v thevv heads 27 Eofi these rivets A engaging i-.the'outer facefotzthesole blank and the Shanks of.' .the rivet are :clinched down.; a'gainstwthe outer facezof thestitfenerzelementf as'by strik-m5 a ing, the1n:,with, a' hammer.y #Whileitheserivets fr may be =of -anyl fzsuitable `ff-.descriptiomy inthe :,.prongedfandrheaded; fasteners.; such;` as zare commonly used for. fastening together/sheets lthis @type islshownibest 'fin Figifire Z1-*and 'com- :prisesa narrow-estripvlO;olisheetfmetal folded etogethentd fformfaflat headlover-,which afcirculargpiece of sheetmetal'fl2 iscri-mped. f'lhe ffree end; iportionsnof the:l stripe after being `m35 @passedthrough*tlieiholesfinthesole blankand the stiffener element a lare sepa-rated".- and ?lat- -1.tened-:downfagainstwthe outerifaceithereoias also bestxshown in this ligure.Y

A reinforcing stri-p lasfshown `inf lFigure man 2, molded to a lateral curvature, and provided `-with openings; `16S-adjaeent.tof:opposite ,ends

ispaced fftormatexfthe,l prongs-1.5 is th-emplaced -oventhetstiffgener element; 3; its concave yside 1beinggturnedoutwardly; and .theprongs 5` areg385 apassed:throughs-theopenings Y y16 :and `*bent downwardly; as; bystriking'them with a hammer against the outer face of thexpiece. 15'; as

shown in:y Figures 4, and 6;

- ,ffNext?theicombinedsolerblanlrand'thefrein-eeo nioroingfrelements -aremolded to the .proper :longitudinal @and lateral curvature 'i of A rthe e' shank portion; of thefshoe; solerbetweendies Avindicatedlati-20 andw2lfir'Figure5. Thefdie 20de :provided/with a=convexxlower1edge con-95 fform-in g to the laterall curvature which itr is desired torgivethe shankvfportiongoff theshoe which engages. automatically inathe concave faceofgthe `reinforcin-gr element 15 thus tending to center the sole blank and the, stitl'enersiloo properly between the dies. Not only does this molding operation impart the lateral and longitudinal curvature to these parts, but it Valso tightens the engagement between the elements 3 and 15 so that there is no possibility of their becoming loose when the shoe is in service.

As the sole blank is ilat when the stiifener is to be applied thereto7 it is much easier to apply the element@ thereto while this element also in flat condition7 asshown in Figure l, than if it were molded to either the longitudinal or lateral curvature.

It will thus be seen that both of the elements of the stiffener are attached when in their best possible condition for the particular operations to which they are to be subjected, the flat element 3 engaging the flat sole blank and the element l5 being flat longitudinally butlaterally curved so asto be easily engaged with the element 3 and yet have a lateral centering action on the assembled sole land stifener elements so that they may be molded to their final configurations in an eX- peditious and accurate manner without par ticular attention being paid to the placing of the assembled parts in a molding press. The

element 3 is directly attached to the sole while the element l5 is attached to the element 3 only and independentlyV of the sole-attaching means of the element 3. The element 15 is thus imperforate for the major portion of its -length and acts as a 4substantial reinforce for the perforated element 3.

While three apertures for .rivets and a single prong adjacent to each end of the element 3 has been shown, it is of course evident that Vthe number of rivets to he employed might be varied and that the number of prongs and their arrangement by Vwhich the reinforcing element is fixed to the element 3 may also be varied, and that various other changes and modifications might be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope of this invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim: s i Vl. The combination with a shoe sole, a perforated shank stiifener element, and a rivet Vpassing through said perforation and attaching said element to saidisole, of a reinforcing element overlying said stiifening element and and independently of said rivet. i

2. The combination with .a shoe sole, a shank stiil'ener element perforated intermediate its ends and having prongs projecting therefrom adjacent to its ends, and rivets passing through said perforations and fixing said element to said sole, of a reinforcing'elementoverly-ing said sti'lfening element and having openings to receive said prongs, the

portions of said prongs extending through said openings being bent against the outer face of said reinforcing'element to retain it inposition` i nature. s i

REINHARD E. BARTELS. 

